The Big Easy! Home of Mardi Gras, Essence Fest, the Saints football team, Xavier University of Louisiana, but what you might not know is that the city has a rich coffee tradition and culture. If you ever had the opportunity to experience a cup of coffee in New Orleans, after one sip, you notice that something is unique about that cup of coffee. The secret is Chicory.
During the American Civil War, Louisianans looked to adding chicory root to their coffee when the port of New Orleans was cut off by the Union naval. With shipments coming to a halt, desperate New Orleanians looking for their coffee fix began mixing things with coffee to stretch out the supply. Since, chicory grounds had a similar coffee taste and can be sold at a lower rate, it became the preferred choice to add to the coffee. What started out as a way to stretch coffee, ended up becoming an essential part of the city’s history.
Below is a popular New Orleans style cold coffee recipe.
Ingredients
- 12oz Black Coffee
- 1oz of roasted ground chicory
- 8 cups of water
- 4 tablespoons of simple syrup
- Desired milk/cream or dairy alternative (optional)
Directions
- Grind 12oz of Black Coffee using the coarse setting on your grinder.
- Add the 1oz of roasted ground chicory to your coarse Black Coffee
- Pour 8 cups of water to the coffee and chicory mix
- Let the coffee and chicory steep for 12 hours at room temperature
- After 12 hours, pour cold brew concentrate, through a fine-meshed filter into a jar.
- Add simple syrup
- Serve over ice, pouring equal amounts of sweetened coffee concentrate and milk/cream (or dairy alternative) into a glass.
- Enjoy!